Second man arrested in group beating at Stevens Point park

STEVENS POINT – One of two men arrested in connection with a group beating at Iverson Park was jailed on a $15,000 bond Tuesday on charges that he helped put a 36-year-old man in the hospital.

Jesus Rangel, 26, of Stevens Point was arrested after witnesses said he and Auston Ortiz, 18, of Stevens Point were involved in the attack, said Portage County Assistant District Attorney David Knaapen.

Police earlier arrested Ortiz in connection with the Memorial Day beating at Iverson Park. Police said Ortiz and Rangel were two of as many as seven attackers who beat a 36-year-old man with fists and a wooden mallet near the baseball diamond at about 5:30 p.m. Memorial Day.

The man suffered multiple head and facial injuries as a result of the attack and was admitted to Aspirus Wausau Hospital. One of the man’s eyes was swollen shut and his upper jaw and other areas of his face were fractured during the attack, Knaapen said.

Police found a vehicle that might have belonged to the attackers at Point Bowl, less than a mile from the park, and investigators were able to interview the victim for several hours, which led them to more witnesses, police said.

Stevens Point police arrested Rangel at 9:50 p.m. Thursday in the 1000 block of Arlington Place on a probation violation, according to Portage County Jail records. Knaapen said Tuesday that investigators found a pair of sunglasses on the scene that they said belonged to Rangel.

Unlike Ortiz, Rangel had a prior criminal record. Rangel was sentenced in November 2011 to three years in prison and 10 years on extended supervision after being convicted of two counts of second-degree sexual assault of a child. He also was previously convicted of marijuana possession and disorderly conduct.

During a hearing Tuesday, Portage County Circuit Judge John Finn set a $15,000 cash bond for Rangel, the identical bond amount for Ortiz. Rangel and Ortiz are scheduled to make initial appearances to face formal charges June 16.

B.C. Kowalski can be reached at 715-345-2251. Find him on Twitter as @BCreporter.